Author

Lisa Sorg

Lisa Sorg

Assistant Editor and Environmental Reporter Lisa Sorg helps manage newsroom operations while covering the environment, climate change, agriculture and energy.

This map shows the proposed route of the MVP Southgate project, which runs from Eden, North Carolina southeast to Haw River, in Alamance County. The map shows several environmental justice communities -- nonwhite and low-income along the way. This includes the Occoneechi-Saponi tribe in Alamance County area. (Map: FERC)

MVP Southgate natural gas project could revive previous eminent domain claims on private land

By: - July 7, 2023

Last October, the 155 or so landowners living in the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project were able to relax for the first time in more than four years. MVP, LLC, the primary owner of the Southgate and main gas pipeline project, dropped its eminent domain cases in federal court, the viability of […]

Sampson County residents tell DEQ to deny landfill gas permit because it lacks key details

By: - June 29, 2023

A pack of people carrying signs congregated near the entrance to Clinton City Hall, bewildered by an admonition they had never seen at a state public hearing before. “No signs or posters” “No protesting or demonstrating” “No talking or shouting over recognized speakers” “Thank you for your cooperation.” The NC Department of Environmental Quality was […]

Coal ash sinkhole expands in Mooresville, contaminating stream while legal dispute delays cleanup

By: - June 28, 2023

For the past three years, a sinkhole in a Mooresville parking lot has released coal ash into a tributary of Lake Norman, in part because of a legal impasse about who is responsible — the property owners or Duke Energy — for repairing the damage. The cause, says a lawyer for the property owners, is […]

House, Senate override governor’s veto of Farm Act, jeopardizing 2.5 million acres of NC wetlands

By: - June 27, 2023

This story was originally posted June 23; it was updated June 27 at 2:45 p.m., after the House overrode the governor’s veto. The House overrode Gov. Cooper’s veto of the Farm Act today, stripping 2.5 million acres of wetlands — an area one and half times larger than the state of Delaware — of environmental […]

A photo of wood pellets, which are light brown and about 1 to 2 inches long.

Senate Bill 171 carves out exemption for wood pellet industry, up for a vote today

By: - June 27, 2023

The bill would redefine the term "wood residuals" to to include "wood pellets." That's important because the wood pellet industry has falsely claimed they use only wood residuals, such as branches and tree tops, not whole trees.

A photo of an Akita breed dog. It is brown and black with white paws and a large body.

Dogs, horses near Chemours have PFAS in their blood, NC State researchers find

By: - June 22, 2023

Pet dogs and horses living near the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant have elevated levels of PFAS in their blood, according to N.C. State University researchers. The study included 31 dogs and 32 horses living in Gray’s Creek Township in Cumberland County. The community is roughly five miles north of Chemours, the main source of PFAS […]

A black and white map showing three locations of sampling near Fort Liberty in Cumberland County: Near Lobelia and Spring Lake to the north of the base, and Bonnie Doone to the south.

NC DEQ says Fort Liberty’s plans for addressing nearby water contamination are inadequate

By: - June 21, 2023

State environmental regulators criticized Fort Liberty’s plan to test off-base drinking water for toxic PFAS, saying it fails to account for all of the potential contamination, according to correspondence dated June 6. In addition, the NC Department of Environmental Quality told base officials that letters they sent to nearby landowners about well testing were misleading. […]

An image of the old Burlington Western Electric facility

Tunnel below old Tarheel Army Missile Plant contains toxic contamination

By: - June 19, 2023

A Cold War-era tunnel below the former Tarheel Army Missile Plant in east Burlington is a newly discovered source of toxic chemicals at the facility, according to a recent report by federal contractors. And based on sampling of a neighborhood stream, there could be other unrelated contamination sources near the plant that further burden the […]

This map shows the proposed route of the MVP Southgate project, which runs from Eden, North Carolina southeast to Haw River, in Alamance County. The map shows several environmental justice communities -- nonwhite and low-income along the way. This includes the Occoneechi-Saponi tribe in Alamance County area. (Map: FERC)

Mountain Valley Pipeline asks FERC for extension to finish Southgate project in NC

By: - June 15, 2023

Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project asks for extension

Analysis: Regulatory reform bill puts state on collision course with federal enviro law

By: - June 15, 2023

A bill winding its way through the Senate would undermine environmental laws governing the hog and natural gas industries, as well as companies that discharge toxic chemicals into the waterways. It would also allow developers to begin investigating Brownfields sites – properties contaminated with hazardous substances – without prior approval from the NC Department of […]

A map showing the location of the Durham's incinerators -- now torn down -- at four parks: Walltown, East End, East Durham and Lyon Park. These areas are historically disadvantaged, nonwhite, and where governments made few investments because of environmental racism.

“A serious environmental justice problem”: Duke U didn’t inform public about lead in Durham parks

By: - June 12, 2023

Soil at three Durham parks – Walltown, East End and East Durham — and presumably a fourth, Lyon Park, contain levels of lead as much as six times the EPA hazard threshold for play areas, a Duke University study found. But the university and the Durham Parks and Recreation Department sat on the findings for […]

a map pinpointing the location of the Gar-Mac Dairy farm in Lincoln County ,NC

35K gallons of cattle waste spills in Lincoln County, near creek that is already impaired

By: - June 8, 2023

At least 35,000 gallons of untreated animal waste was released from the Gar-Mac Dairy farm in Lincoln County, sending contamination into an unnamed tributary that flows to Indian Creek and the South Fork of the Catawba River, according to the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The discharge occurred on June 6 and 7 because of […]